Besides giving us heavenly R&B jams, Raveena also gives us a reason to continue dreaming.
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Many of us have probably felt hopeless when looking at the state of the world. As it becomes increasingly unrecognizable amidst climate change and other challenges, it doesn’t always feel like things will be okay for us. How do we move on if we constantly feel the weight of a collapsing world? For R&B singer Raveena, she looks towards the future with a more optimistic lens—and her music does, too.
Photo by Erika Kamano
Her recent single, Sun Don’t Leave Me, reflects on the state of the planet but also sees her leading with love. This sentiment runs throughout the lyrics from her newest album, Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain (a deluxe version is set to drop on February 28). She questions the ways of the world, something people tend to feel paralyzed or apathetic in doing. Yet, she continues to move. What drives these projects home is her honesty and curiosity, and that’s perhaps the best way to characterize her.
From her love for the earth to detaching from the concept of celebrity, she continues to live authentically. We can all learn from her commitment to a better tomorrow in her music and everyday life. It’s an energy she brings no matter the venue, from this year’s PLUS63 Festival to the studio in Pasig where we caught up with the musician ahead of her festival performance. Check out our full interview with Raveena below.
Hi Raveena! Welcome back to the Philippines. You’ve been having an eventful February, as you’re here for the PLUS63 Festival! How does it feel to be back?
Hi! Thank you. I love the Philippines, the people are so sweet here. It reminds me a lot of India. Even the smells remind me of India.
You also dropped your single “Sun Don’t Leave Me” this month. Can you tell us more about what inspired the track and what the writing process was like?
That song is kind of inspired by climate grief, watching the world change so drastically, even in just my few decades of being alive. Just watching the earth really decay and natural disasters happen more and more. As a person that really loves the earth, it’s hard to witness. So that song is about grief in that way.
You’ve always centered nature as a major theme in your work. What draws you to that imagery?
I think that it’s so synonymous with presence and meditation. Whenever I’m in a forest or nature, that’s when I feel the most alive, it’s when I feel the most connected to my soul, it’s when I feel the best. I just try to just cherish that.
Speaking of imagery, you’ve also been known for incredible visuals that add to the musical experience. What/who are your inspirations when conceptualizing that aspect of your artistry?
Oooh, so many! I look a lot to Bollywood, I also look a lot to 70’s visuals (like 70’s editorials). A lot of surrealist imagery is really big. I love the photography coming out of Korea and Taiwan right now. I think there’s some really incredible stuff happening there that also feels very synonymous with what’s happening in Paris. It’s surrealist and an ode to nature, but in the most strange kind of way. I feel like artists I love visually are Björk, M.I.A., FKA Twigs, like all those kinds of people, more experimental visuals.
How does your Indian roots and heritage shape who you are as an artist?
I mean, I think in every way, you know. It’s what you grow up around. It’s so natural that those influences find your way. It reminds me of childhood, and I feel like it’s a lot of archival work of my memories. It’s like going back into the archives of my memories and discovering again those first sounds that hit my body as a kid.
You’ve opened up in the past online about detaching yourself from the concept of “celebrity” and fame to focus on your craft. May I ask how that shift in focus changes/betters the creative process for you?
I think some of that world, I mean all of it, feels really connected to the material, towards results. It’s really entrenched in capitalism, it’s not a natural concept to be hyper-famous, or like [a] celebrity, or all these things. I think that in this album process, I really focused on removing myself from distractions like being online, removing myself from my public perception, and just focusing on becoming a really open vessel for music. It’s [fame] so idolized as a lifestyle when it can be very empty sometimes when you’re so deep in it.
You’ve always honored healing and growth as a part of making music, and I think you shared that sentiment when your latest album, “Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain” was released. How has focusing on healing as a part of your music changed your life?
I think I’m just learning that part of healing is boundaries. Having boundaries with your time and boundaries with your space. It’s been a process getting to do my dreams, but also learning that I have to have boundaries even with the dreams. Cause sometimes, when you’re young and you’re chasing a dream, you don’t realize how parts of it can become unhealthy for you, or you’re overworking yourself. So I think a lot of the healing process was being like, “I’m a human first.”
You’re set to drop the deluxe edition of Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain this February 28, and the new songs touch upon climate grief but also hope for a better tomorrow. How do you think people can stay optimistic in the face of tough times and increasing destruction of the environment?
I think we have to allow ourselves to dream of a utopia and really create a clear picture of it in our minds. Cause if we don’t know where we’re going or what we’re shooting for, and we’re just getting lost in the news cycles, the grief, and the pain every day we’re gonna get stuck there, we’re not going to be able to get to that next place.
I think giving yourself the grace to know that all the news will be there for you [it will be okay]. If you take a week to reset your nervous system, do that. Take that time to care for yourself and dream, create that vision of a utopia, be in nature, and understand what utopia even means for you and your community. If we don’t have a regulated nervous system, and we don’t have a dream, then we lose everything.
That’s such a beautiful way to put it. It reminds me of this quote I read recently. It’s not word for word, but it talks about not letting anger be the only thing operating you but letting love be a force to drive you as well.
Exactly, and it’s so hard. I was in the midst of one of the world’s worst natural disasters in America [the LA fires] because my house was in the eye of the fire, and I’m still displaced. I still can’t go back home. I didn’t lose my house but it’s just too dangerous. I’ve just really had to contend with grief and real loss, pain, and hurt towards what’s happening with the earth. Like you said, I can’t let sadness rule me right now. I did let it for a couple of weeks, but now I’m like, “Okay I have to move on, I have to find some kind of optimism”. Because if I don’t, then I won’t be able to grow.
Let’s say someone asks you for advice on their own personal healing journey. What would you recommend they do to get started?
I would say that it all roots back to the breath. Just taking 5 minutes per day, like just practicing turning off your phone, being quiet, and focusing on your breath moving in and out. That can open up a whole portal towards meditation, being more in touch with your body. There’s a myriad of practices to do. That’s all you need to start. It’s that mindful breath.
Going back to the topic of growth, what’s something(s) you’d like to do this 2025?
Oooh, I haven’t thought of that. Something I wanna do is… I’m thinking of building an ecovillage on a farm with my friends. I really wanna lay down the roots to that this year. At least start to research and explore the location cause we’re looking at a lot of locations. It’s gonna be such a long-term process. It’ll probably take a decade to even do it. I really want to commit to starting that this year.
Filipino fans are more than excited to see you come back, and we also know your upcoming performance will be an introduction to you for new listeners. What do you wish Filipino audiences would take away from seeing you for the first time?
I feel like in America and the Philippines, there’s such a crossover of the love of R&B. I just hope they feel filled up with that, all that soulful music.
For people who may have not heard of you yet, what song/s of yours would you recommend they check out first so they can get a sense of who you are as an artist?
I think Lose My Focus is a really good one. Headaches, probably for an older song. Rise is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever made. Maybe something from Lucid. I always love Floating or Still Dreaming; those are some good Lucid songs, Petal is a great Lucid song. And then Honey is a classic.
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